Coal-cutting machine



Aug. 1 6,' 1927.-

J. c. BRACKETT CO AL CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 5. 1926 3 Shoots-Sheet 1 I JNVENTOR 1151? Gra Aug. 16, 1927. J. C. BRACKETT .COAL.CUTTING momma:

Filed April s. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 llllillluhili-IFE...

Patented Aug. 16, 1927. l I i UNITED sures PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. BRACKETT, on NEW YORK, N. Y., nssmn on T InGnnsoLL-nnNn COMPANY, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A oonronn'rion or new JnnsnY.

COAL-CUTTING MAoHiNn. Application filed n rns, 1926. Serial no. 991953.

This invention relates to mining machines, gage and disengage the motor G from the and more particularly to chain coa l cutting verticalshaft Kftheoclutch 0 preferably of machines-of the type which are adapted to the jaw type is provided slida bly on the be propelled by means of cables anohored at vertical shaft K engaging jaws J? on the their ends and reeled on drums actuated worm wheelJ. The upperendof the shaft 00 from suitable motors within the machine. K is provided with an anti-friction bearing One object of the invention is .to' enable Q seated in a depression R in'the upper the machine to be controlledfso thatjeither of face of the casing A, 'a plate or cap S being its. cable take-ups or drums may be independ provided to seal the depression R against ently operated from a single source of the entrance of dust and other foreign matpower. Other objects of the invention are ter. The shaft K'is pa lr dat flj 'ld to .drive the propelling means fi-eXi' 1y. face of the casing A "by means ofa gland T The-invention will be more clearly undercompressing packing material U about the stood by reference to the accompanying shaft, bolts V being provided to hold the drawings, in which i gland T in place. V

Figure 1 is a top View portion of the I fOnthe lower face of themain casing A main casing: being shown in section to indiand the motor casing B there is bolted abase cate the arrangement of parts in the interior, or shoeW'attached by means of the bolts X Figure 2 is a side view, I, to the casing upon which the coal cuttei is 2n Figure 3 is a cross section along the line adapted to drag itself about on the'floor.

3-3 looking in the direction of the arrows, The shoeW is replaceable whenworn. An Figure 4 is a cross section through the end thrust bearing blockY for the shaft K main casing along the line H looking .in is suitably mounted on the inner face of the thedirection of the arrows, shoe W I I A Figure 5 is a longitudinal section along Means are provided to propel the coal cutthe line 5-5 looking in the direction of the ting machine along, the ground including a arrows Figu reti is a rear end view of the machine 7 'cosaxially on opposite sides of the casing A, showing the arrangement of the controls there being provided a .,pair of shafts d t d tthe rear of the machine, mounted on thewalls of thecasing A for the 35 Figure 7 is a cross section along the line drums b and c to rotate'upon. The drums 7 -7 looking in the direction of the arrows, b and .0 are preferably driven by the fluid Figure 8 is a cross section along the line actuated motorse and 7 respectively. The 8-8 looking in the direction of the arrows, anotorse andf are independentof each other 35 and. each .beingprOvided with a similar driving WI Figure 9 is a section along the line. 9- 9 gear to the respective drums and 0 consistof Figure 2 looking in the direction of the ing of .a drive shaft 9 having a wormi-h arrows. meshing with a worm wheel j on a trans- Referring to the drawings, the coal cutverse shaft is having a pinion p engaging an ting machine comprises a main casing A on internal, gear 9 .formed integrally with the which there is mounted a second casingB interior ofthe drum. p housing an electric motor G. A cutting .ele- .The motive fluid for operating the gear ment D is supported by the casing A and motors e and if as pumped under pressure the'second casingB-preferably rigidly. The nto asupply chamber 1" by a; gear pump 8.

45 "coal-cutting machine is of the type in which As shown .m F gure 1, th g a pump @011. the cutting element or cutter bar D'is pros1sts of threesectlonst, u and o all operated vided with a travelling chain -E provided from the main shaft H of the motor C and with 'suitable teeth E, thechain E being each having separa scharge chambers driven :b the motor 0 by means of a worm w, and-y pec ve y- T p p wbe ng 50 Gr on the drive shaft H of the motor C oflarger capac ty than theothers t and Q), i022 meshing with the worm wiheel'J on a ;veris arranged to supply .motlve fluid under "tical shaft K extending substantially from pressure, to elther of the .gear motorseand top to bottom of .thetmain' casingA (Figure vfby means of two, way throttle valves 2 and 3' and provided with a sprocket over 3-.respectwelye Th ge mOtOI 1 .pro-

pair ofdrums b and 0 preferably arranged '55 which the chain E passes. In order to envided with two chambers 4 and 5 which may each serve as an inlet or discharge side of the motor 6 depending upon the direction of rotation. The supply chamber :a may be associated. with the gear motor 6 by rotating the throttle valve 2 either with the chamber or with the chamber 1. As shown in Figure 4:, whichever of the chambers t or 5 is associated with the supply chamber 3 be comes the inlet side of the motor 6 and for the same position of the throttle valve 2 the other chamber l or 5 is connected with a discharge passage 6 leading to the sump or chamber 7 acting as a reservoir for the inlet side of the pump 8. The smaller pumps t and o are adapted to be connected directly with the motors e and f at the throttle valves 2 and 3 respectively there being check valves 8 and 9 located between the supply chamber y and the auxiliary supply chambers 10 and 11 respectively.

Suitable by-pass valves 12 are provided to connect the sump ,7 with the discharge chambers y, 10 and 11 so that any section of the 1 pump 8 may be disconnected for the purpose of speed control, their function being to bypass the motive fluid and to remove to a large extent the load from the gear pump. Suitable safety valves 13 which are adjustable and spring pressed valves are arranged to automatically bypass the motive fluid from the supply passages y, 10 and 11 to the sump or reservoir 7 when the pressure reaches a certain predetermined value. The gear pump 8 may be rotated in either direction and to this end the chamber 14:, which is normally the discharge chamber when the pump is operating in a clockwise direction, (Figure 4c) becomes the inlet chamber and the chamber 15 becomes the discharge chamber when the pump 8 is rotated in a. counterclockwise direction. To this end the chamber 14 is provided with check valves 16 and 17 which are arranged to open and close, connecting the sump 7 or the discharge chamber 7 with the chamber 14L depending upon whether the chamber 14 is functioning as an inlet or a discharge chamber for the pump. Likewise, the chamber 15 is provided with check valves 18 and 19 similar in their function to the check valves 16 and 17 respectively.

The throttle valves 2 and 3 are provided with operating levers or handles 20 and 21 which extend through the rear wall of the casing A and are conveniently controlled by the operator. The motor C is controlled by any suitable type of electric motor controller having a handle 22 extending through the casing, preferably at the rear wall so as to be convenient to the operator. The by-pass valves 12 are controlled by suitable hand I wheels 23 also extending through the casing A at the rear (Figure 6). Preferably the motive fluid for operating the gear motors e and f is an oil or an incompressible liquid.

rope 24 t0 the drum 0 runs over a pulley 25 at a front corner of the motor casing B and its end is attached or" anchored at a distant point along the face of the work. A retarding cable 26 runs over a pulley 27 at a rear corner of the main casing A and is attached or anchored at'a distant point back from the face of the work. The rope 2 1 which acts as a feed cable is reeled up on the drum'c while the chain E is cutting a kerf in the wall of coal at the floor level. A tension is preferably kept in the retarding cable 26 which, pulling about th pulley 27 as the fulcrum, tends to pull the end of the cutter bar D into the coal face. Suitable manipulation of the throttle valves 20 and 21 to rotate the gear motors e and f in the proper direction and at the proper speed permits the operator to handle the machine to effect under-cutting of the coal face.

The machine above described is particularly suitable for short wall working as is well known in the art of mining. It will be seen that either drum 5 or 0 may be operated in either direction by suitable handling of the reversing throttle valves 2 and 3, by means of their respective controlling levers 20 and 21 while the speed of each may be properly regulated by the by-pass valves 12 without effecting the speed of the motor C. Only one electric motor is necessary in this work, the gear pump 8 and the gear motors e and 7' being very reliable and of good mechanical ethciency transmit the power of the electric motor C tothe drums Z) and 0 in a simple and efiicient manner and with a great degree of flexibility.

I claim:

1. A coal cutting machine comprising, the combination of a main casing, a cutting element supported by the main casing, a motor in said casing for driving the cutting element, drums arranged co-axially on opposite sides of the casing, a feeding cable on one of said drums, a1 retarding cable on the other the casing and arranged co-axially with recutting element, rotatable drums carried by the casing and arranged. co-axially with respect to each other on opposite sides of said casing, cables on said drums, individual fluid actuated reversible gear motors for rotating the drums, whereby the drums may be rotated separately and in opposite directions with respect to each other, a pump driven by the motor for supplying fluid under pressure for actuating the gear motors, and a reservoir in communication with said pump.

4. A coal cutting machine comprising, the combination of a casing, a cutting element supported by the casing, a motor sealed in said casing for driving the cutting element, drums arranged co-axially on opposite sides at the casing, cables on said drums for propelling the machine, fluid actuated gear motors connected to rotate the drums for winding and unwinding the cables, an oil pump driven by the motor for supplying oil under pressure to the gear motors, an oil reservoir in said casing associated with the pump, and means between the pump and the gear motors for by-passing oil to the reservoir.

5. A coal cutting machine comprising, the combination of a casing, a cutting element supported by the casing, a motor sealed in said casing for driving the cutting element, drums arranged co-aXially on opposite sides of the casing, cables on said drums for propelling the machine, fluid actuated gear motors connected to rotate the drums for winding and unwinding the cables, an oil pump driven by the motor for supplying oil under pressure to the gear motors, an oil reservoir in said casing associated with the pump, manually operable means between the .7

pump and the gear motors for by-passing oil to the reservoir, and automatic means for by-passing oil from the pump to the reservoir when the oil pressure reaches a predetermined value.

6. A coal cutting machine comprising, the combination of a casing, a cutting element supported-by the casing, a motor sealed in said casing for driving the cutting element, drums arranged co-axially on opposite sides of the casing, cables on said drums for propelling the machine, fluid actuated gear motors connected to rotate the drums for winding and unwinding the cables, an oil pump driven by the motor for supplying oil under pressure to the gear motors, an oil reservoir in said casing associated with the pump, manually operable valves between the pump and the gear motors for by-passing .oil to the reservoir, and automatic adjustable valves between the pump and gear motors for by-passing oil to the reservoir when the oil pressure reaches a predetermined value.

7. A coal cutting machine comprising, the combination of a casing, a cutting element supported by the casing, a motor sealed in said casing for driving the cutting element,

a base supporting the casing, drums ar-v ranged co-axially on opposite sides of the casing, a feeding cable on one of said drums,

a retarding cable on the other of said drums, fluid actuated reversible gear motors connected to rotate the drums, a fluid pump connected to be driven by the motor for supplying fluid under pressure to the gear motors, a passage providing communication between the pump and the gear motors, an

'oil reservoir in said casing associated with JOHN C. BRAGKETT. 

